


He Just Wants To Help

by sgtbuckaroobarnes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky being helpful, Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, WinterFalcon - Freeform, bucky is really in love, bucky wants to help, cute boys being cute, like literally just voices, sam has bad nightmares, sam is too but bucky doesnt know becasue he's clueless, sambucky - Freeform, some other people too but just in the background, they kind of both are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9878357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtbuckaroobarnes/pseuds/sgtbuckaroobarnes
Summary: Sam has terrible nightmares, Bucky hears him screaming in the night and wants to help, but he doesn't know how to go about it. So he starts doing random little things and hopes for the best.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i know this probably isn't the writing you guys wanted me to post. cuz i really need to be updating my other fic, but my depression is being really shitty with me and this is all i could manage, and this one barely happened. I hope i can update my fic soon, cuz i can't wait for you guys to see where it's going! Thanks for reading, as always, love you guys! Enjoy! <3

The first time Bucky’s woken up by screams that aren’t his own, he’s out of bed and down the hall, standing in front of Sam’s door before he even realizes what’s going on. He just stands there, listening to Sam’s screams through the door. He’s yelling for help. But the yells are sleep heavy, and Bucky can feel his heart beating in his throat. He’s never been on this side of the door before. He stands there, his fists clenched at his sides, not knowing what to do.

He stands and listens to Sam scream until he stops. Bucky hears him sit up in bed, hears him pushing his blankets off in that hurried, frantic way you do when you wake from a nightmare and feel ling you’re being smothered. Then he hears him take a few deep breaths. Bucky walks away then, but he doesn’t go back to his room. He heads to the kitchen. He grabs one of the weird, but helpful, self warming plates that Tony insisted on buying in bulk, and sets it on the counter. He grabs some eggs and some sausage and cheese and scrambles up an omelet. The only thing he can cook really well.

He pours some orange juice into a glass and then opens six or seven cabinets before finding the food tray he was looking for. He covers the plate with a little plastic cover and sets the juice next to it, then he walks it back to Sam’s door and sits it on the ground. He looks at the tray, then at Sam’s door. Bucky pulled his lip between his teeth and sighed, then walked back to his room and fell onto his bed.

He wakes late in the morning. He walks past Sam’s door, the food tray is gone, and heads toward the kitchen. He hears talking and stops just outside the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he listens.

“Any of you guys see anyone in here earlier?” Sam’s voice asks. A chorus of “no’s” and sleepy negative noises respond.

“I think Barnes was in here rummaging around in the wee hours. Why?” Tony’s voice says. Bucky swallows hard and takes a step back.

“No reason.” Sam says dismissively. Bucky doesn’t know if it’s because they’re tired or what, but no one pushes the subject, not even Tony. Bucky takes a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart and then walks back to his room, waiting for the other to clear out of the kitchen before he goes to find himself some food.

A few nights later he’s woken by screams again. He stands outside Sam’s door, feeling useless, wanting to go in help him, to wake him and tell him that he’s fine, that he’s safe. That whatever it is in his head can’t get him here. But he doesn’t. He’s not sure if Sam trusts him enough to feel safe, not sure that him going in there would make things better. The chance that it might make it worse keeps him out in the hall. Standing alone outside Sam’s door, listening to him scream and wishing he could help. He waits for the screams to stop and then goes to the kitchen.

It quickly becomes a habit. He hears Sam screaming, he waits for the screams to stop, and then makes him breakfast and leaves it outside his door. He doesn’t think it does much, if it does anything besides make Sam think he’s weird. But he can’t stand the thought of doing nothing. So he makes food, and hopes that it helps.

~***~

The days when Sam has nightmares he tends to fall asleep on the couch. Bucky guesses it’s because of the lack of sleep, he knows how it is. The first time he finds Sam passed out on the couch he’s curled in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest and shivering. Bucky looks down at him for a minute and smiles a small smile before hunting down a blanket and then covering Sam with it. He smiles again when Sam makes a humming sound in his sleep and nuzzles his face deeper into the couch cushion.

This becomes a habit too. Sam falls asleep watching tv, some weird movie, some new tv show, or Bucky’s favorite, bird documentaries. It doesn’t matter, Sam falls asleep and Bucky finds him, curled up and shivering. So he finds a blanket for him, usually dragging one off of Sam’s bed, and covers him up.

It’s not like it helps with the nightmares. It doesn’t. Sam still wakes up in the night. But it makes Bucky feel a bit better, like he’s helping Sam, even if it’s only keeping him warm while he’s passed out on the couch. But it’s not good enough. He still feels an ache in his chest when he’s standing outside Sam’s door. Three or four times he’s had his hand on the door knob, ready to go in, ready to take that chance. But every time he stops. His brain supplying him with images of Sam screaming in his sleep, and then lashing out when he sees it’s Bucky who’s waking him. So he’d never gone in, just stood and listened, his heart nearly breaking in his chest for Sam.

~***~

He needs to do more. Has to. So he makes a list, a list of things that help him when he has nightmares. Things that clear his head after them, and things that have helped him keep them at bay. He makes a list and then stands in his room for a long time before taking a deep breath, not sure if this is a good idea or not. He shrugs to himself and decides to just go for it.

“Friday?” he calls to his ceiling.

“Yes Mr. Barnes?” her calm voice responds. Bucky smiles.

“I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” he asks.

“Of course.” She says simply. Bucky nods.

“It might sound sort of odd. But I need it to be…a secret. Can you do that?” he asks, scrunching his face up a little while he waited for her response.

“That might depend on the favor Mr. Barnes. But I’ll give it my best shot.” She said after a moments silence.

“It’s nothing bad. I just, I have some things that I think might help Sam. With his nightmares. But I uh…I don’t really know how to open up that conversation without sounding like a stalker. So, if I give you the list, do you think you could…I don’t know, maybe…tell Sam some of them from time to time?” he explained, rubbing at his face.

“Of course. And the fact that it’s you telling me this is the secret, yes?” Friday asked, Bucky was sure that if she was really person she’d be smirking at him.

“Yeah.” Bucky said.

“Will do sir.” She said. Bucky sighed and sat on the end of his bed.

“And Mr. Barnes?” She asked, her voice going soft.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking up at the ceiling even though he knew she wasn’t really up there.

“This is an incredibly nice thing you’re doing for him.” she said. Bucky laughed through his nose and fell back on his bed.

“I just wanna help.” He muttered.

“I think it will sir. Let me know if you need anything else.” She said, and Bucky pictured her nodding.

“I will. Thanks Friday.” Bucky said.

“Anytime sir.” She said cheerily and then was gone. Or as gone as she could be while sort of always being there.

After Bucky had given Friday his list all he could do was wait. A few weeks later he was woken by screams again. He went through his usual routine afterwards and then laid in bed, thinking that it hadn’t worked, it hadn’t helped at all. Then about twenty minutes later he heard someone walk past his door. He peaked out and saw Sam walking toward the door of the tower, he was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, his jogging outfit. Bucky closed his door and smiled to himself.

It was almost three months later when he heard more screams. He pushed himself out of bed and stood by Sam’s door. His forehead and palms pressed again it. He waited for Sam to stop screaming and then shuffled to the kitchen, yawning as he pulled out all the ingredients.

He walked back to Sam’s door and crouched down to set the tray on the ground. The door swung open slowly and Sam’s feet stood in the doorway. Bucky grimaced and froze.

“Cheese and Sausage again? And I don’t know why you’re makin that face, I knew it was you leavin the food here.” Sam said, sounding amused. Bucky stood up slowly and looked at him.

“No, I uh… I added some red peppers this time.” Bucky said quietly, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his sweatpants. Sam’s mouth curved up at the corner.

“I love red peppers.” He said, tilting his head as he looked at Bucky.

“I know. I heard you tell Steve at the barbeque on the 4th of July.” Bucky said, then grimaced again because he once again felt like a stalker. Sam smiled and nodded.

“You hear a lot don’t you?” Sam asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

“I guess so yeah.” Bucky said with a shrug, his eyes on his feet.

“But I guess quiet people do hear a lot. And apparently, they do a lot of helpful shit on the down low too.” Sam said easily. Bucky’s eyes snapped up to look at him.

“What?” he asked, his hands clenching in his pockets.

“Ya know, the food, the blankets, and all that stuff you told Friday to tell me.” Sam said with a smile.

“How did you know all that was me?” Bucky asked, his voice going a little higher than normal. Sam chuckled and shook his head.

“Okay I’ll be honest, I didn’t know for sure about Friday, but I do now.” He said, smiling. Bucky felt heat in his cheeks as his mouth dropped open and he closed it again.

“I- well…you. Shit.” He breathed, looking down at the floor again. He took a deep breath and then looked back up to Sam.

“I’m sorry if it was creepy, I just…I wanted to help. I just didn’t know how.” Bucky stammered. Sam nodded.

“It wasn’t creepy. It was nice.” He said with a shrug. Bucky swallowed and nodded at him. They stood there in silence for what felt like hours to Bucky. And then he opened his mouth and immediately regretted it.

“What do you dream about?” he asked. Sam’s eyes widened and then he looked at the ground. Bucky grimaced again.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay.” Sam said, interrupting Bucky’s ramble. Bucky widened his eyes and stared at him.

“Really it’s okay. You uh…come in here.” Sam said, stepping away from the doorway to make room for Bucky to pass him.

“What?” Bucky asked, not sure what was going on, his heart was beating fast in his chest again. Sam laughed.

“Come in, I’ll tell you what I dream about. If you tell me what you dream about.” Sam said, looking at Bucky, his face open. Bucky gulped and nodded, then walked past Sam and into his room. He turned and watched Sam pick up the food tray and then close the door. He nodded to the bed as he set the tray down on his dresser.

“Get comfy.” He said, Bucky tilted his head at him and watched as Sam crawled back under his covers.

“Come on, I don’t bite.” Sam said with a smile as he patted the bed. Bucky swallowed and walked over to the bed slowly. He stood at the edge looking down at Sam, Sam nodded and Bucky climbed in. Trying his best to remember the smile on Sam’s face, and then smell of the bed sheets, in case he was never allowed to do this again.

“All the way down, don’t be shy.” Sam teased, looking up at Bucky, his head resting on his arm. Bucky took a deep breath.

“I can’t help it.” He mumbled and sunk down, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling, covers pulled up under his chin.

“Well that was adorable.” Sam said quietly, flattening his palm on the mattress as he looked at Bucky. Bucky swallowed again and then turned on his side to look at Sam.

“So… your dreams.” He said quietly. Sam nodded and moved his hand closer, Bucky curled his fingers against the mattress where his hand was resting.

“I have a better idea right now.” Sam said, his voice low, Bucky found himself pressing closer, blinking slowly as he looked at Sam.

“W-what’s the- what’s the idea?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper in the dark of Sam’s room. Sam smiled again and moved his hand until his fingers were touching Bucky’s. Bucky breathed in deeply, his eyes glued to their hands, his heart pounding.

“I think maybe we should just go to sleep for a little while. Get some rest.” Sam said, moving his hand and lacing his fingers through Bucky’s. Bucky bit his lip and moved his eyes to Sam’s face as he moved his thumb against Sam’s. He nodded and then shivered when Sam pressed his leg against Bucky’s.

“But you’ll tell me later?” Bucky asked. Sam smiled a soft smile again and pressed closer, moving his hand out of Bucky’s and up to Bucky’s cheek.

“Yeah Buck, I’ll tell you later. I’ll tell you anything you want.” He whispered and then pressed his lips to Bucky’s gently. Bucky hummed and closed his eyes, moving his hand to the back of Sam’s neck and pulling him close. They pulled back at the same time, Sam brushing his thumb over Bucky’s bottom lip and then tangling their fingers together again.

Sam closed his eyes and snuggled down into his pillow. Bucky laid in the dark, his eyes glued to Sam’s face. He wasn’t sure this was actually happening. He thought maybe he was just dreaming. He laid there, in the dark, terrified that he was going to wake up any second and lose Sam. That he’d go back to just standing outside his door, covering him with blankets, and giving Friday helpful tips. His chest felt tight, he didn’t even want to blink, and then Sam’s hand was on his chest.

“Relax. You’re okay. Just close your eyes Buck. I’m not goin anywhere.” Sam whispered, looking at Bucky in the dark. Bucky nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. After a few minutes he relaxed, Sam dropped his hand back to Bucky’s and Bucky felt himself falling into sleep. He forced his eyes open for a second so he could look at Sam. He had a small smile on his lips. He looked calm, and happy, and like he felt safe.

Bucky smiled to himself, his body feeling warm as he relaxed into the bed, his eyes falling shut again as he drifted off to sleep. He didn’t wake up again until the morning when the sun shone in the room. He opened his eyes to see Sam smiling at him, looking sleepy.

“Hey.” Bucky said, his voice scratchy. Sam’s smile widened.

“Hey yourself.” Sam said. Bucky smiled and shoved his face deeper into his pillow, feeling shy again with Sam looking at him like that.

“Thank you.” Sam said quietly, his fingers moving gently over Bucky’s wrist.

“For what?” Bucky asked. Sam squeezed his wrist.

“For everything. Everything you did. It helped. You helped. A lot.” Sam said quietly, pushing forward and pressing into Bucky, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his head up under Bucky’s chin, snuggling into him. Bucky took a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around Sam, moving his thumb against Sam’s skin.

“You’re welcome Sam. I’m glad it helped. That I- I helped.” He breathed. He felt Sam smile into his chest and wrap his arms tighter around Bucky. Bucky smiled and then pressed a kiss to Sam’s head.

They laid in bed for a few more hours, fingers moving gently over each other’s skin, keeping each other warm in the sheets, sharing soft smiles and gentle kisses, Bucky’s heart pounding in his chest every time Sam smiled at him. Bucky moved his fingers up Sam’s arm slowly, making him shiver, and finally felt like he’d done enough. He’d helped him. And that was all that mattered, that’s all he’d wanted, and now Sam was smiling at him with bright eyes in the morning sunshine and he couldn’t ask for more.


End file.
